Rookies spark Packers' depth charge on defense

Green Bay — When Ted Thompson wrote this all off as a coincidence — saying he let the draft board “do its thing” — there were a few chuckles in the Packers’ media auditorium. The general manager has fully embraced a best-player-available philosophy since he took over, but this year’s draft was a direct attempt to improve the NFL’s last-ranked defense.

The Packers took six defensive players in a row, trading up three times. Now, with the postseason approaching, that April aggressiveness is paying off. As noted earlier this week, the Packers’ rookies have been delivering.

Green Bay is allowing 77 fewer yards per game and still forcing timely, momentum-changing turnovers. Depth created by a strong rookie class has helped trigger the turnaround. The Packers didn’t draft to develop for future years. They drafted to develop for this year.

On Friday, defensive coordinator Dom Capers admitted the Packers needed to make some serious changes on defense.

“We didn’t want to repeat what we did the year before,” Capers said. “We come in and in the first two years, we’re in the top 5 on defense and we won a lot of games. But last year, we won games because of our offense. You don’t need to be a real skilled eye to look and say, ‘We need to try to upgrade some areas’ and I think we did. It’s a credit to Ted, going into the draft, and coming out with guys.

“All of those guys have contributed. Our No. 1 pick, Nick (Perry), hasn’t much because of injury. I think after that, those guys have been on the field. I know I’ve looked out there at times and we’ve had six at times.”

Capers chucked. He’s not used to seeing so many rookies on the field at once.

“Trying to win a game with six rookies out there, OK at one time, sometimes you’re holding your breath a little bit,” he said. “But they’ve responded.”

Beyond Perry — lost for the season with a wrist injury — nearly everyone has contributed in a specialized role. Second-rounder Jerel Worthy (23 tackles, 2.5 sacks) is still adapting to the pro game, unable to manhandle blockers like he did in the Big Ten. But along with Mike Daniels (15 tackles, two sacks, FR for a touchdown), the Packers have sustained a steady rotation on the defensive line. Both are quick interior pass rushers.

Undrafted rookie Dezman Moses (37 tackles, three sacks) has allowed Capers to rotate outside linebackers. On the back end, Casey Hayward (six interceptions) replaced the injured Charles Woodson’s playmaking ability in the slot. And at safety, the physical Jerron McMillian has seen time.

“We’ve been able to play some guys the right number of plays in packages rather than overworking them and having them play in every package where they have to play every down," Capers said. "We’ve been able to specialize them. I think we’ve been more athletic. We have a more athletic team on the field."

In years past under Thompson, rookies weren’t needed this much — immediately — on defense.

This year, Capers and the Packers moved away from starters shouldering the majority of the snaps. Perry, Worthy, Hayward, Daniels, McMillian and the undrafted Moses have all cycled through the line-up with veterans. This was by design. Green Bay wanted to stay fresh for the stretch run, a topic Bob McGinn wrote about earlier this season.

Capers and the coaches realized they'd need to start slow with their scheme. Early in the season, things weren't overly complicated.

Now, he's hoping to finish fast.

“I knew that the guys that we took were going to have to factor into our plans,” Capers said. “And if that meant scheming things down to get them on the field to give them a chance to have success, that was going to be a key factor. It’s a part of what you do. You’ve got all your package but you see how much (they) can handle and then gradually you give a little bit more and a little bit more.

"But these guys have done a nice job. They’ve worked awful hard at it and they’ve contributed a lot."

About Tyler Dunne

Tyler Dunne covers the Green Bay Packers. He has been on the beat since 2011, winning awards with the Pro Football Writers of America and Milwaukee Press Club.